Former Iraqi MP found strangled in Beirut apartment, three suspects identified
Lebanese authorities arrest one suspect as two Syrians believed to have fled the country
Dubai: Former Iraqi parliamentarian Ahmed Al Alwani was found strangled inside an apartment in Beirut after disappearing for four days, with Lebanese authorities identifying three suspects and arresting one, judicial sources said on Tuesday.
The body was discovered on Monday evening in an apartment in Beirut's Tarik Al Jadidah neighbourhood. Its identity was established on Tuesday after Al Alwani's family reported him missing, according to local media.
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Preliminary investigations indicated that Al Alwani had been strangled with a cord removed from a curtain inside the apartment. A forensic medical report suggested he had died at least three days before his body was discovered.
Investigators identified three suspects, two Syrian nationals and one Lebanese citizen. The Lebanese suspect has been detained for questioning, while authorities believe the two Syrians may have fled Lebanon.
The judicial source said the three suspects had collected Al Alwani from the airport and taken him to his hotel after his arrival in Beirut last week.
Surveillance footage showed Al Alwani voluntarily entering the building with two men and proceeding to the apartment where his body was subsequently discovered.
Lebanese media reported that the three suspects had rented the apartment.
Lebanon's top prosecutor, Judge Ahmed Rami Al Hajj, is overseeing the investigation, with the Internal Security Forces' Information Branch working to establish the circumstances surrounding the killing.
Iraqi Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammed Redha Al Husseini confirmed that Lebanese judicial authorities had opened an investigation and assigned a judge to oversee the case.
The Iraqi embassy said it was coordinating closely with Lebanese security agencies and awaiting the final investigation report.
It added that the body had been transferred to Zahle Government Hospital, where embassy officials accompanied a family member to examine it. Lebanese prosecutors also ordered DNA testing to establish the victim's identity conclusively.
Al Alwani, a former MP from Iraq's western Anbar province, belonged to the Albu Alwan tribe, which fought against Daesh. He was known for supporting protests against former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki's government. The Albu Alwan, one of the four core historical clans of the Dulaim confederation, is one of the largest Sunni Arab tribal groups in Iraq.
Sentenced to death in 2014 after being convicted of killing two Iraqi soldiers, Al Alwani spent approximately 12 years in prison before his reported release last year.
